


Sports Anime Drabbles

by doxian



Category: Free!, Haikyuu!!, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime), 弱虫ペダル | Yowamushi Pedal
Genre: Challenge: Sports Anime Shipping Olympics | SASO 2015, Challenge: Sports Anime Shipping Olympics | SASO 2016, Challenge: Sports Anime Shipping Olympics | SASO 2017, Drabble Collection, F/M, Gen, HQ Rarepair Week, M/M, Multi, Other, Prompt Fill, Sports Winter Anime Games 2016, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-19 13:26:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 12,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3611706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doxian/pseuds/doxian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabbles written for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 Sports Anime Shipping Olympics, 2016 Sports Winter Anime Games, various shipping weeks, and writing prompt memes.</p><p>You can find tags in the author's notes for each chapter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kuroo & Lev (HQ!!) - beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Kuroo first saw Lev, he literally almost tripped over himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for HQ!! Rarepair Week day 1 - beginnings](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/114584900261)
> 
> Tags: First Meetings, Teaching, Senpai-Kouhai Relationship

When Kuroo first saw Lev, he literally almost tripped over himself.

You simply didn’t _get_ height like that at Nekoma, not usually. He was 6 and a half feet tall, easy, and his striking green eyes combined with the fact that he looked like he was all graceful, long limbs gave him a sense of beauty that was almost otherworldly. 

It was a no-brainer for Kuroo to go up to him and casually ask if he’d ever thought about playing volleyball.

—

As it turns out, Lev is not at all graceful. Not an elegant creature from another planet - just an over-excited teenage boy whose body has grown much quicker than he can keep up with.

“Lev! You’re coming up too fast, I keep telling you!” Kuroo yells, calling out Lev’s name for what’s probably the twentieth time during that practice alone. 

“Ah! Sorry!” 

Lev’s modus operandi when playing volleyball seems to be - well, he doesn’t _have_ one, really. He reacts speedily and instinctively, but he doesn’t have enough experience for his instincts to be at all accurate. He’s impatient - diving into situations that he should be leaving to the more skilled players - and he relies too much on his body’s natural superior height. He’s like a giant mass of fizzing energy - sparkling and brilliant and nowhere near under control. 

But, still - Kuroo watches Lev lean down slightly in order to listen to Kenma - still, there’s something there, there’s potential, and plenty of it. 

—

“I’m going to become Nekoma’s ace.”

Lev comes up to Kuroo while the team begins to clear up their equipment. He’s still panting from exertion, which makes his voice a bit shaky but no less confident.

Kuroo turns, looks at him, quirks his mouth in a lazy half-smile. 

“Oh? Is that so?”

Lev looks more serious and determined than Kuroo’s ever seen him - poised still and expectant. He’d listened to Kuroo’s typical little speech about how Nekoma is the blood that supports Kenma, their brain, he knows how Kuroo wants the team to work. 

Kuroo looks at him, considering.

“Well,” he says, finally, “if you’re gonna be the ace, I’ll have to train you that much harder, won’t I?“

Lev’s eyes shine and he breaks out into an eager grin.

“ _Ossu!_ ”


	2. Tsukishima/Kenma (HQ!!) - distance & language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Quiet is difficult to come by at the training camp, Tsukishima discovers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for HQ!! Rarepair Week, day 2 - distance & language](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/114675758941)
> 
> Tags: Crushes, Nonbinary Character, Manga Spoilers

Quiet is difficult to come by at the training camp, Tsukishima discovers. 

It’s not like this is much different from their regular practices. The Karasuno volleyball club is a rowdy bunch of idiots, after all - but now there are ten times more idiots to deal with in the form of the other teams, and it’s not like he can just go home once the day is done since, well, it’s a _camp_. 

So he tries to find solitude in snatches. He puts his headphones on and goes for quick walks whenever there’s a break between matches. Sits at the back of the room during meals, sometimes with Yamaguchi. 

For a while he thinks he’s the only person trying to avoid all the noise and excitement. Then one day he seeks out all of his favorite quiet spots as usual and keeps running into that kid with the bad dye job, Kenma, Nekoma’s setter.

At first he’s pissed. He’d been ducking out of the underused back entrance to the gym during breaks first. This other person should leave. 

He’s about to brusquely tell them as much, but something makes him pause. They don’t look up from their video game when he approaches, and when he sits on the steps some distance away from them, they don’t bother trying to engage him in pointless conversation.

The other volleyball player’s presence is inoffensive enough, so Tsukishima pulls on his headphones and flops down on the uncomfortable concrete step until it’s time for their next game. 

—

It gets to the point where Tsukishima begins expecting to find Kenma and, on some level, looking forward to it. Kenma starts looking up when he hears Tsukishima’s footsteps, fixing him with that alert, observant gaze like they had through the net during their first game together, before slumping back over whatever Nintendo DS or phone game they’re playing at the time. 

Kenma’s presence is weirdly soothing, up until it’s not. Tsukishima starts to feel antsy during their shared silences instead of relaxed, and he realizes it’s because he would like to talk to Kenma, but he has no idea what he would say. He’s used to sniping at people with barbed words, not trying to endear them to him. 

How pathetic.

He blurts out the question before he can really think about it - “what game are you playing?” He may as well have asked about the weather. 

Kenma makes a small noise of acknowledgement, or disinterest, he can’t really tell which, and doesn’t say anything for several seconds. Tsukishima resigns himself to the fact that he’s probably being ignored, but then Kenma looks up from their game, straight into his face with their piercing eyes, and answers, “Monster Hunter. Do you play?” 

It’s the first time Kenma has spoken to him, and Tsukishima doesn’t really play video games, but they exchange a few words. When they eventually lapse back into silence, Tsukishima catches himself smiling.

At the end of the camp, he gets on the bus back to Miyagi with Kenma’s number saved on his phone.


	3. Ennoshita/Yamaguchi (HQ!!) - unrequited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ennoshita can't seem to make the tears stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for HQ!! Rarepair Week, day 4 - unrequited](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/115109472526)
> 
> Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crying, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Unrequited, Love Triangles, Manga Spoilers
> 
> background Ennoshita/Daichi and a brief nausea mention

Ennoshita can't seem to make the tears stop. 

He scrubs furiously at his face, trying to ignore the sympathetic glances other players send him on their way to the urinals. He holds his breath, but that just causes his sobs to dissolve into helpless, gasping hiccups, which isn't at all better. 

He can't _do_ this right now, if he takes too long the others will wonder if something's wrong and come looking for him... 

It's just. Now that he knows Daichi was watching, he's seeing the set in an entirely different light - mentally replaying the three missed spikes, the receives that only barely got the ball back into the air, the way he had only just managed to hold the team together until the end of the match. It would have been easy enough to forget about all of it - he'd done what the team needed him to do, after all. But Daichi had been watching...

Even though Daichi had praised him for the last play, Ennoshita still feels like he's disappointed him. 

\-- 

Yamaguchi thinks he hears the rest of the first years yell something about poop as he takes off down the corridor towards the toilets. He'd be embarrassed, typically, but now he just ignores them.

He'd seen Ennoshita excuse himself while the rest of them were celebrating their victory and welcoming Daichi back, and something about his face signaled to Yamaguchi that he wasn't leaving to simply use the facilities or relieve any anxious nausea. If any of their teammates had noticed, they hadn't shown it. Or maybe they felt that he needed some time alone. Yamaguchi had gone after him before considering that possibility. 

His own gut is still churning with residual nerves from his pinch serve and with the exhilaration of actually _winning_. He shoves it all aside for now, picking up his pace until he's basically running, flinging himself against the door of the men's restroom and pushing it open. 

Ennoshita is hunched over one of the sinks, and his expression reflected in the mirror makes Yamaguchi's heart break like brittle plastic. 

Ennoshita must catch sight of him standing there, because he immediately straightens up and attempts to coax a smile onto his face. 

"Yamaguchi," - his voice cracks on the last syllable, oh _no_ \- "Sorry that you have to see me like this. I'll be fine in a second - "

Yamaguchi is stepping forwards, and then he's holding onto Ennoshita's arms and pulling him close. Ennoshita meets him halfway, and Yamaguchi doesn't think about how it might be weird and overly familiar to wind your arms around your senior's waist and feel his tear-streaked face damp against your shoulder. 

Ennoshita tries to say something, pauses, swallows. Yamaguchi can hear the noise of it click tightly in his throat, can tell he's holding back sobs and trying to force his voice back into evenness before he speaks. 

"Sorry," Ennoshita repeats, a little breathy and tremulous. "But I can't help but feel like I let him down again." 

Yamaguchi feels his heart break a second time, along different fault lines but no less painfully. He knows Ennoshita is talking about Daichi. He knows Ennoshita sees him as more than a teammate and captain, that there's more at stake for Ennoshita than winning Daichi's respect. 

He's angry at himself for thinking about this now - this isn't about who Ennoshita likes and how Yamaguchi wishes it could be him, it's about how Ennoshita shouldn't have to feel like this, about how much their team truly values and loves him - Daichi included.

There are plenty of things Yamaguchi wants to say, but he can't. So he just hugs Ennoshita tight and hopes that it's enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I'm telling myself that Ennoshita eventually got over Daichi and then him and Yamaguchi kissed a lot, otherwise I'll make myself too sad...)


	4. Akaashi/Kenma (HQ!!) - dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's not the slow rumble of distant thunder that wakes Akaashi up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for HQ!! Rarepair Week, day 6 - dreams](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/115286571826)
> 
> Tags: Literal Sleeping Together, Post-Canon, Established Relationship, Nonbinary Character, Dreams and Nightmares

It's not the slow rumble of distant thunder that wakes Akaashi up.

He's still caught midway between dreaming and wakefulness when he feels Kenma's foot jerk and knock against his shin, when he feels them toss and turn furtively in the bed, twisting the sheets up into a zig-zagging mountain range of fabric. Kenma's fearful whimpers and gasps, quieter than the thunder and even the rush of rain, map out Akaashi's path back to full alertness.

He sits up and blinks as his eyes adjust to the dark.

The point of Kenma's elbow and the ombre of their hair are illuminated by the ambient light of the city spilling into their room through a gap in the curtain. Their face is cast in shadow, but if Akaashi looks closely he can see Kenma's brows drawn upwards in anxiety, their mouth crumpled in a wince.

"Kenma." Akaashi takes them by the shoulders and shakes them, gently. "Kenma."

Kenma thrashes again and shoves him away, one arm flailing in a wide arc. Akaashi tries again, shaking them harder, calling for them louder.

When Kenma wakes up, their eyes shoot open, suddenly and impossibly wide, and they're weakly shoving against Akaashi's chest, hands curled into fists.

"Are you alright?" Akaashi asks. He's speaking in a stage whisper. Any louder would feel like a rude disruption of the dimness and the comforting fall of the blankets around them.

"Yeah. It was just a dream."

Kenma is trembling, but Akaashi feels just as shaken. Ever since he'd first gotten to know Kenma in high school, Kenma had been the calm eye of their teams' storm of energy. Seeing them like this makes Akaashi want to curl his long limbs around Kenma's small, vulnerable body until they're peaceful again, so he does.

A bolt of lighting suddenly fills their bedroom with white. Akaashi doesn't ask Kenma what the nightmare is about. He just holds them close in a loose embrace, and soon Kenma's breathing evens out into soft puffs against Akaashi's neck, and they drop back off into slumber even as the storm rages on outside.


	5. Toudou/Makishima (ywpd) - first name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name." — Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written in response to this SASO bonus round 1 prompt](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/4049.html?thread=307409#cmt307409)
> 
> Rating: T (for a brief allusion to sex) 
> 
> Tags: Crushes, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Phone Calls & Telephones, Nonbinary Character, Names

"Hey, Maki-chan? Can I ask you something?"

Toudou's voice is tinged with the tinny artificiality that's typical of cell phone conversations and, as usual, they're talking too loud. So loud that they keep breaking up over the shitty connection - clear, smooth alto crackling into a glitchy scramble. (Makishima should probably look into upgrading his phone plan.) 

"Sure," Makishima says, shifting on his bed so that he's on his back, crossing his legs and waggling one foot idly. "I'm surprised you're asking me whether you can ask me something instead of just going ahead and asking. You're usually such a busybody, Jinpachi."

Toudou clicks their tongue, but most likely they can hear the warmth in Makishima's tone even as he berates them, so they press on without comment.

"Would it be alright if I called you Yuusuke?"

Makishima doesn't respond for several seconds.

Nobody calls him by his given name. Nobody except his family. None of his friends - not Tadokoro, not Kinjou, not Onoda - have tried to, and Makishima is fine with being Makishima, around them. But hearing his name on Toudou's lips makes his skin burn hot, makes him give into the urge to roll over and shove his face into his pillow. 

He thinks of Toudou whispering it quietly, intimately, in bed in the middle of the night with dreams still clinging to them; wheezing it in pure exhaustion while they're laying on their backs in the grass on a mountain peak, looking up at the passing clouds after one of their weekend practice races; crying it out weakly as Makishima studies them with his fingertips, mapping out every inch of them and committing their topography to memory before gently, gently ripping them apart. 

He thinks a million stupid romantic things and he doesn't know how to tell Toudou "no", doesn't know how to explain that he can't deal with this blinding effervescence shining its way through his body like a halation. How is he supposed to pick up Toudou's calls, compete with them at races, continue managing his reactions to them if the possibility of _this_ is always there? 

"Maki-chan?" Annoyed and demanding. "Are you still there?"

And Makishima finds his solution.

"Yeah." He re-emerges from the pillow. "I'd prefer if you didn't."

"Ehhh? Why?" Toudou whines, cajoling, but Makishima is a seasoned expert at dealing with Toudou's wheedling. "But you started calling me 'Jinpachi' just like that!" 

"I'm already used to you saying 'Maki-chan', it'd feel weird if you suddenly changed. You're the only person who calls me that." 

He has to hold the phone slightly away from his ear as Toudou laughs, their mood shifting as quick as the weather. 

"That's right! You're right. You're Maki-chan. You better not let anyone else use that nickname for you. If you did, I would know."

"Oh really? Do you have spies at Sohoku now?" 

Crisis averted. Falling back into teasing banter is easy.

" _No!_ Maki-chan, I'm serious. I'm special, right? I'm the only one who can say 'Maki-chan' because we're best rivals!" 

"Special, I guess that's one way to put it," Makishima murmurs, and even _that_ sounds like teasing, like he doesn't mean it, but he's certain that, behind the wryness of his tone, Toudou can tell he's smiling.


	6. Arakita & Tadokoro (ywpd) - fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Buddy you're a young man - hard man, shoutin' in the street - gonna take on the world some day. You got blood on yo' face, you big disgrace, wavin' your banner all over the place." - We Will Rock You, Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for this SASO br1 prompt](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/4049.html?thread=547537&posted=1#cmt1068241)
> 
> Tags: Minor Violence, Fist Fights, Minor Injuries

Upon further reflection, fighting somebody who's thrice his size probably isn't one of Arakita's better ideas.

In his defense, he'd reacted purely on instinct when Fukutomi returned to Hakogaku's tent with a pink-purple bruise swiftly blossoming on one cheek and an unfamiliar nuance of emotion notched at his lip. (On his way out, Arakita had realized - with an unpleasant lurch of surprise - that it was _shame_.)

The instinct was to storm out of the tent and go sniff out the Sohoku fucker who'd dared to punch Fuku-chan. (Fighting people was easy. Addressing his captain feeling ashamed of himself is a much uglier beast that can be saved for later. Or even better: never.) 

Beyond the flaps of their tent, the competition area is still buzzing with activity and excited conversation. Arakita would find this annoying at the best of times. In this mood, the obnoxious chattering fans the flame of his ire until he's snarling at people to _get the hell out of his way_. He earns more than a few glares and even a couple of shouts and swears as he shoves his way through the crowd of colourful jerseys none too gently, squinting against the glare of sunlight reflecting off the shiny fabric of the tents. 

Zekken #75 isn't hard to miss, mostly because he's built like a house and can't help but stand out among the much leaner and lither cyclists around him - a single broad oak in a field of tall grass. 

He's also really goddamn loud. 

Arakita interrupts whatever involved discussion he's having with his skinny, green-haired teammate by jabbing him hard in the shoulder. 

The sprinter turns around, looking confused when he's immediately faced with Arakita's fist. Arakita gets a brief glimpse of a straight nose and sharp eyebrows before his punch connects with the guy's jaw. 

Arakita gets that one good hit in - it makes a satisfying noise like a meat tenderizer hitting a steak - before he's knocked off his feet and the back of his head painfully smacks against concrete. 

"What the hell are you doing?!" 

The sprinter holds him down, one brawny forearm braced against Arakita's chest. Arakita kicks his legs, furiously tries to push him off. As soon as Arakita starts trying to kick him, he merely twists his body so he's sitting on Arakita's legs and Arakita is left pointlessly struggling and whacking him on the back and arms, burning out his anger against the 200-plus pounds of bodyweight pressing him against the ground. 

When Arakita tries to punch him in the face again he just moves so that Arakita's arm is trapped between him and Arakita's chest. 

"Your ace injured ours!" he bellows, loud enough to make Arakita's ears ring at this range. Arakita realizes he'd been yelling about what happened to Fukutomi this whole time. He also realizes that this guy hasn't once tried to hit him back. 

He isn't trying to fight back. 

This almost makes Arakita angry all over again. 

" _Tadokorocchi_." 

The other Sohoku guy's bleating voice emanates from Arakita's left at the same time one of the event officials calls out, clear and authoritative, from his right. 

Zekken #75 gets up. Arakita gets up, too, feeling a little shaken. 

Arakita turns on his heel and stomps off, unwilling to get his team disqualified over a fight but unwilling to apologize for it, either. 

Arakita does wonder, though, whether this guy had been lying about Fukutomi. But whatever he'd done, Fukutomi must have had a good reason for doing it.

Back in the tent, met by his teammate's indignant demands to know where he went, Arakita just informs them that there's an additional reason why they call Tadokoro Jin the Human Bullet Train.


	7. Tadokoro/Makishima (ywpd) - party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "The party was loud and obnoxious, but we were both thrilled to be going together, and even though he could have danced or spoken or laughed with anyone there, he chose to sink into the caved-in sofa in the corner with me and play with my hair as I curled up on his lap.
> 
> And everything became background noise to our little conversation and nothing else mattered, and we both got contact high and dizzy and I remember pulling him into an inescapable embrace in the car when we got home and saying "I love you" over and over like I couldn't stop, and I started giggling like a kid. And he responded by holding me tighter and refusing to let me go, even as the car idled and the rain blew in the side door.
> 
> And that was the night I knew I was in love with him. and I'm never going to let him go."
> 
> \- [x](http://letterstocrushes.com/letter/646635)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for this SASO br1 prompt](https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/4049.html?thread=917201#cmt917201)
> 
> Tags: Partying, Alcohol, Post-Canon, Trans Female Character, First Kiss, Fluff, Crushes, Love Confessions 
> 
> cw for a brief mention of transmisogny

Back when they were in high school, Tadokoro would never have predicted Makishima being a giggly drunk. 

_It could be worse,_ he reflects, finding himself on Makishima babysitting duty at some party yet again. 

The party itself was his idea, and also not very important. A friend knew a few other friends who planned to go out, nothing special. Tadokoro invited Makishima because he _always_ invited Makishima, but something about tonight felt different. Almost like a date. Maybe it was because Makishima had asked "so, pick me up at 8?" right before she'd hung up the phone. Maybe it was because Tadokoro had rolled up at her place in his flatmate's car. Tadokoro never usually _picked her up_. Usually they always just met up directly at wherever their friends wanted to go. 

Tadokoro wanted this to be a date, but he's pretty sure it wasn't. For it to be a date you had to decide as much beforehand, right? 

But he'd still felt distinctly like it was a date even after they arrived at the bar. They found the group they'd come to meet and said hello to everyone. After that, it was easy for Tadokoro to split off from the rest of the throng and lose himself in chatting and laughing with Makishima. 

Well. Not all that much chatting. It's a loud bar. And they see each other so often and keep so abreast of each other's lives that lulls in conversation are inevitable, but they never feel like lulls, they never feel empty. They don't always need to be speaking to each other to have a conversation, after all.

Tadokoro never needs a reason to stay close to Makishima, but tonight part of the reason is the _looks_ she's getting. Makishima isn't wearing a dress, but she's wearing skinny jeans and banana yellow heels and some kind of flimsy, flowing, tunic-like thing Tadokoro doesn't know the word for, with a zig-zagging pattern on it that makes him dizzy. Her make-up is pretty, her earrings are dangling and sparkly and catch the light whenever she moves, and of course there's her iridescent hair and the fact that she towers over most of the other patrons here. 

Some of the looks - as always, frustratingly - are hostile, but a good deal of them are of poorly disguised interest. 

Neither type of look sits well with Tadokoro. 

This isn't a date, he reminds himself. Guarding her safety or honor is one thing, but he has no reason to feel possessive. 

Makishima finishes her cocktail. She decides that sitting at the bar is uncomfortable and ushers them to some a quiet corner where there's a booth. Somewhere on the way from the bar to the booth she begins slurring her words together, just a little, and after Tadokoro sits, she plops down right into his lap, giggling slightly and trying to hide it behind her hand. 

Tadokoro's face gets hot. He can't remember when the touchiness and affection between them had changed from casual to charged. He holds her on his lap carefully, sliding a hand down to her lower back, and she loops her arms loosely around his neck and presses their foreheads together and more than once Tadokoro thinks she's going to kiss him, but she doesn't. 

He finds himself absently carding his hands through her soft, bright hair, smoothing out the tangles and twirling the tips around his fingers as they continue to talk. It doesn't feel like any time has passed at all when one of their friends comes over to say they wanted to move to a different bar, did they want to come? 

Neither of them did. On the way home, Makishima sobers up. Tadokoro makes a point to drive a modicum less recklessly than he had on their way there, but Makishima still looks a little green when they come to a stop in front of her apartment building. 

She doesn't get out right away. 

"Thanks, Tadokorocchi," she says. She doesn't look at him. Instead, she looks at her hands, twisting them nervously in her lap. Light from a streetlamp outside shines in through the window and illuminates her face, which is slightly hidden by her hair. Sometime during the drive, it had started raining. 

Abruptly, Makishima looks up, like she's about to say something important. 

She doesn't manage to meet his eyes for quite long enough, though, so when she says the words she's already dropped his gaze and her hand's already on the door like she's about to open it, but before she can leave Tadokoro takes her other hand in his and repeats what she said right back to her. 

And then he kisses her, even as she looks at him in disbelief that he'd actually said it _back_ , and they keep kissing until the rain lets up.

It hadn't been a date, but it didn't even matter, because Makishima loves him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr users fansofcollisions and saccharinescorpion drew beautiful fanart of Maki's outfit (and Maki sitting on Tadokoro's lap)!! go look :] - [1](http://fansofcollisions.tumblr.com/post/123950304842/such-a-beautiful-description-of-makishimas-outfit), [2](http://saccharinescorpion.tumblr.com/post/128758312155)


	8. Kuroo/Kenma (HQ!!) - "i've missed you" kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo turns up on Kenma's doorstep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for [this kiss prompt meme](https://twitter.com/therealdoxian/status/655899272601145344): #7, "i've missed you" kiss, [originally posted here](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/131493885046)
> 
> Tags: Kissing, Reunions, POV Second Person, Established Relationship, Fluff

The doorbell wakes you up before your alarm does. You’re bleary and confused for a few moments, staring at your phone screen, expecting to have received a text or a missed call before realizing, wait, your phone wasn’t what made the noise.

You roll out of bed and hurry downstairs, almost tripping over your own feet. When you open the door, it’s just who you expected it to be, even though you thought you’d be meeting him at the train station instead of seeing him turn up straight on your doorstep. It’s been months since you’d last seen each other - either you visiting him at his university or him returning to Tokyo.

“Kenma!” A cold, wintry breeze rushes into the house as soon as you get the door open - along with Kuroo, who hugs you exuberantly around the waist. 

“Kuroo,” you murmur into his shoulder. “You’re so early.”

“Got on an earlier train. I would’ve texted you, but my phone died.” You feel your feet leaving the floor as he half hugs you, half picks you up. “It’s so good to see – ”

You silence him with a kiss, winding your arms around his neck. The kiss is too brief and too chaste, just a gentle brush of lips against lips, but Kuroo pulls away before it can develop into anything else, leaning your foreheads together and sighing contentedly. You soak up his warmth and the sound of your mingled breathing.

“I missed you _so much_ ,” Kuroo says. Your face is too close to his to really see clearly, but you think you can see him smiling.

“…I really missed you, too,” you say, the corners of your mouth quirking up in answer.


	9. Asahi/Noya (HQ!!) - "i almost lost you" kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You look back and feel like everything is playing in slow-motion as Noya tumbles off the trail and down a slope towards a sharp drop, dust and dislodged pebbles following in his wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for [this kiss prompt meme](https://twitter.com/therealdoxian/status/655899272601145344): #11, "i almost lost you" kiss, originally posted [here](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/131556171676)
> 
> Tags: Kissing, Hiking, POV Second Person, Established Relationship

It had been Noya’s charisma and force of will alone that had gotten all of you most of the way up this mountain, to be honest. When he’d first proposed a hike as part of the team’s training instead of your usual runs, half of the team was unconvinced - including yourself. But after his confident, enthusiastic encouragements, and Hinata and Tanaka yelling about how cool the idea was, here you all are.

Now, you wish you’d voiced your disagreement instead of just going along with the flow as usual.

One second, Noya was right behind you. The next, he’s tripped and you’d caught the barest glimpse of a bleached tuft of hair before he slipped out of view. You look back and feel like everything is suspended in slow-motion as Noya tumbles off the trail and down a slope towards a sharp drop, dust and dislodged pebbles following in his wake.

You don’t hesitate before you scramble after him, reaching out to grab his arm. You end up losing your footing, so you fling yourself back against the steep slope, digging your heels into the ground to stop yourself from sliding and pulling Noya haphazardly on top of you.

“ _Oof!_ ”

Once you’ve somewhat regained your bearings, you look around and see that your foot is only a couple of inches away from the edge.

Your heart is pounding, your hands are shaking with a combination of fear and adrenaline, and _he could have fallen_ is looping in your head, Noya - both of you - could have pitched over edge of the cliff and fallen to your deaths, and –

You pull Noya into a fierce kiss. He’s frozen in surprise for a moment, but then he kisses back passionately, grabbing at your arms and shoulders. You don’t stop kissing him until you’re reassured that he’s still here and he’s not dead, he’s here in your arms, _he’s not dead_ –

He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand when he pulls away.

“Wow,” he says, a little awed. “What brought that on, Asahi?”

“…You almost died!” You wail, shocked that he doesn’t seem to realize the danger you were both in.

“Huh?” To your horror, he turns around and leans forward to peer over the edge. “…Looks like it’s only a one storey drop. Thanks for catching me though, Asahi! I could have broken something, and then I wouldn’t have been able to play libero for you. God, how awful would _that_ be??”

“…”

A few of your teammates have rushed over. Some of them are calling out in concern, and others - who hadn’t seen you fall and had likely only seen the two of you making out on the ground - sound like they’re cheering you on.

Typically you’d be ready to sink through the ground in mortification, but all you do is flop back against the dirt, sighing in relief.


	10. Tanaka/Noya (HQ!!) - last kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’ve always been drawn to Noya. There’s something about him that’s bright and irresistible, and now that his lips are on yours and the warmth of his small, powerful body is radiating against your chest, you can feel that brightness consume you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for [this kiss prompt meme](https://twitter.com/therealdoxian/status/655899272601145344): #23, last kiss, [originally posted here](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/131683237611)
> 
> Tags: Kissing, Crushes, POV Second Person, Truth or Dare, Angst, First Kiss

When Suga suggested playing a game of truth or dare, you’d jumped on the idea immediately. Daring your teammates to do ridiculous things instead of going to sleep sounds like the perfect way to end your training camp. You hadn’t at all considered the possibility of being shoved unceremoniously into a closet with Noya to the sound of whoops and wolf-whistles. (One of those voices sounded suspiciously like Yamaguchi.)

You glance to where you imagine Noya to be in the dark. You’re more than a little flustered, which is stupid since this “seven minutes in heaven” business is some serious junior high shit, but. This is _Noya_.

“So,” you grunt, “we have to kiss until they let us out? Is that it?”

The problem isn’t that you don’t want to kiss Noya, the problem is that you do. You really, really do.

Noya laughs.

“I guess? Well, if they’re trying to embarrass us, joke’s on them, because I’m not embarrassed about kissing you, Ryuu. We’re gonna have the best make out sesh _ever_.”

You think you blush all the way up to the top of your head. He sounds much more excited about this than you’d expected…

He accidentally smacks you in the face when he reaches out for you, but then he’s climbing into your lap and your hands are on his hips and you’re kissing.

You’ve always been drawn to Noya. There’s something about him that’s bright and irresistible, and now that his lips are on yours and the warmth of his small, powerful body is radiating against your chest, you can feel that brightness consume you.

Both of you are a little too eager and trying to do too much at once; you move to kiss him more deeply as he moves away to leave light, nipping kisses against your lips. But eventually you figure it out and settle into a slow yet urgent rhythm. You’re absently rubbing his back and his hands feel like they’re all over you - gripping your shoulders, then clutching the front of your shirt and then lightly touching the nape of your neck.

Someone yells your names and bangs against the door of the closet. You break apart much too soon. You’re regretful, but a little relieved, as well - any longer and things might have gotten a little… _awkward_ , considering how much he was squirming in your lap…

“Wow.” Noya says, sounding punch-drunk and overwhelmed.

“Yeah,” you say. You should really follow it up with something else, like “can we do that again, _now?_ ” or “Noya, I think I like you”, or _something_ , but you don’t, and then the moment has passed and the door is opening.

That’s the first time and the last time you kiss him. By the time you’ve gotten your act together enough to try to tell him how you feel, he’s excitedly talking about how some amazing third year boy has confessed to him and how he’d accepted. 

You don’t think you stop kicking yourself for missing your chance for the rest of the year.


	11. Noya/Tsukki (HQ!!) - kiss on the nose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At first, you teased Noya out of contempt and your usual desire to keep people at arm’s length, but at some point that had changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for [this kiss prompt meme](https://twitter.com/therealdoxian/status/655899272601145344): #12, kiss on the nose, [originally posted here](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/131827978186)
> 
> Tags: POV Second Person, Crushes, Bickering, Awkward Flirting

You’d intended to leave with Yamaguchi as soon as practice ended. Instead, you ended up at the pork bun place, half-heartedly listening to the others discuss strategy while wondering how they can possibly go around talking at the top of their lungs all the time without damaging their own hearing. You’d tried to decline, but Tanaka and Noya appearing on each side to haul you bodily along made for a pretty persuasive invitation. (God, you have to get them both back for that somehow.)

The sun has set by the time you’re finished.

“Whoa, it’s dark out,” Noya comments unnecessarily.

“Luckily for us, your bangs will light our way, Noya-san,” you deadpan with a smirk. “That is why you wear your hair like that, right?”

The taunt is one of your more pathetic ones, for sure, but you couldn’t just let the opening pass without taking it.

Noya’s reaction is instantaneous.

“Why, you – ”

He prods you hard in the sides and your smirk turns into a grin, even as you twist this way and that, making a show of trying to escape his touch. The jostling is expected; maybe even a little welcome. At first, you teased Noya out of contempt and your usual desire to keep people at arm’s length, but at some point that had changed –

“Ha, I know what’ll teach you not to slander your senpai’s name!”

He stops poking you. For a second, you think he’s going to headbutt you? He does a little jump so he’s at your eye level, and you prepare to duck away in order to protect your face from attack, but –

He pecks you. Right on the nose.

“Wha??”

You’re. Really not sure how that’s supposed to teach you anything. You find yourself at a loss for words, and Noya seems satisfied with merely that, grinning wide as if he’s proud of himself before rushing off to catch up with the rest of the upperclassmen.

“Tsukki?” You hadn’t noticed Yamaguchi next to you, who is looking very entertained. “Are you coming?”

You’re covering the bottom half of your face with one hand, your fingers brushing the tip of your nose. You quickly remove it, pushing up your glasses instead, even though you can feel your face starting to burn up.

“Yeah, Yamaguchi, let’s go.”

(Maybe if you annoy Noya enough he’ll give you a kiss on the lips, next time.)


	12. Kageyama/Suga (HQ!!) - surprise kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just like with the party, you’re expecting the gift-wrapped box when it’s pressed into your hands. What you _aren’t_ expecting is the feeling of warm, chapped lips against yours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for [this kiss prompt meme](https://twitter.com/therealdoxian/status/655899272601145344): #18, surprise kiss, [originally posted here](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/131883140586)
> 
> Tags: POV Second Person, Awkward Flirting, Birthday, Fluff

You suspected that the team had something planned for your birthday. (It can be difficult to keep secrets when you have teammates like Tanaka, Noya and Hinata; even Asahi is unexpectedly bad at keeping a good poker face.) Regardless, you try your best to seem surprised when you’re hustled into the backyard after cleanup and presented with a birthday cake that’s as delicious as it is beautifully decorated. You’re hugged and patted on the back and given well-wishes and presents, and you graciously accept them all in the midst of laughter and chatter and bites of cake.

The only person who doesn’t say anything to you is Kageyama. It could be that he’s just acting like his usual brusque self, but you can’t help but feel a little put out. Everything had been going so well - you thought you’d been working together better, and even become a little friendlier since he first joined - but perhaps not?

The cake is quickly demolished by your team and their voracious appetites. You try to help with the tidying up and get shooed away at least five times, and it’s only then that you feel a tap on your shoulder. When you turn around, Kageyama is there with a serious look on his face.

“Suga-san.”

“Kageyama?”

“Close your eyes. And hold out your hands.”

You do, biting back a smile. Just like with the party, you’re expecting the gift-wrapped box when it’s pressed into your hands. What you _aren’t_ expecting is the feeling of warm, chapped lips against yours.

You suck in a breath, standing frozen in surprise for a moment before you have the presence of mind to kiss him back, tilting your head a little so you can slide your lips together, reaching up with one hand to cup his cheek.

Kageyama’s shaking. You think this is the first time you’ve seen him nervous about anything.

“Happy birthday,” he mutters once you break apart, not quite meeting your gaze.

You smile widely at him.

“Thank you, Kageyama.”


	13. Teshima/Aoyagi (ywpd) - fanfiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Junta. Stop reading fanfiction in bed, I'm trying to sleep."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for SWAG 2016](https://referees.dreamwidth.org/3776.html?thread=105664#cmt105664)
> 
> Tags: Meta, Trans Female Character, Established Relationship

Aoyagi is by no means a light sleeper, but she's attuned enough to Teshima's sleeping habits by now that the sound of sniffling wakes her up immediately. 

She's worried, ready to ask what's wrong and console him if need be, but then she notices the glow of his phone screen and lets out an exasperated groan.

"Junta. Stop reading fanfiction in bed, I'm trying to sleep."

"Sorry, Aoyagi," Teshima mumbles shakily, wiping his eyes with the back of one hand. "[I thought this would be a short one](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4839860), but I misread the word count. Now I've started it I just can't stop, it's too good..." 

Seeing Teshima with tears in his eyes makes Aoyagi want to comfort him, even though it's over something as silly and inconsequential as this. She shuffles over, rustling the blankets, and kisses him softly on the cheek. 

"What's it about?" She pillows her head on his shoulder so she can see the screen.

"It's kuroken," Teshima explains. His voice rings clear and stable, now, but his eyes are still watery. "Kuroo's the cool captain of the rival team who everyone likes and Kenma is the one who I said reminds me of you."

"I remember," Aoyagi says quietly, because even though she'd never read _Haikyuu!!_ , and never watched it aside from the handful of episodes she'd seen with Teshima, she's listened to him talk about it enough that she's learnt plenty through osmosis alone. She especially remembers Teshima's OTP, given how much time he spends talking about them - often very emotionally.

She skims what she can see of the fic and her brows furrow. 

"Junta, this is porn. Why are you crying about it if it isn't sad?" 

Teshima has the grace to look sheepish, at least. 

"Well. It's their first time, and Kuroo is nervous about it even though he's usually really confident, so Kenma takes charge and knows _just what to do_ to make it work because he knows Kuroo so well--" Teshima actually chokes up, and Aoyagi hums in understanding. It does sound kind of touching. What's most touching, to her, is that it's the characters' closeness that's getting to Teshima the most. 

"That's nice, but I need to go to sleep, and so do you." Aoyagi gently plucks the phone from Teshima's hands, switching off the screen and leaning over him to set it on the night stand even as he complains. She shushes him with a firm, decisive kiss on the lips. "Finish it tomorrow." 

If she doesn't tell Teshima that she looks up the fic to read herself the next day, and that she starts doodling a certain messy-haired volleyball club captain and pudding-haired setter in her sketchbook, it's only because she wants the finished picture to be a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> may or may not be based on a true story.


	14. Oikawa/Suga (HQ!!) - "we can never be together" kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s years until you see Oikawa again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for [this kiss prompt meme](https://twitter.com/therealdoxian/status/655899272601145344): #25, "we can never be together" kiss, [originally posted here](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/132338764796)
> 
> Tags: POV Second Person, Reunions, Party, Exes, Alcohol, Bittersweet, Post-Canon

It’s years until you see Oikawa again.

You’d imagined this moment plenty of times in the past, fully aware that the chances of you running into him again were slim to none. (The two of you had cut contact after you’d broken up, after all.) This is absolutely nothing like you imagined, which is a good thing. The sorrow that had sat heavy on your chest has dissolved - four years was thankfully enough time for that - and the circumstances of your meeting have absolutely nothing to do with volleyball. You’re not sure why you ever even envisioned volleyball being involved in any way. You knew that while Oikawa would go on to play professionally, you planned to quit as soon as you started college.

You’re at a work function - they’d booked out the entire bar - when you hear a familiar breezy, cheery voice call out your name.

You briefly consider acting like you hadn’t heard and then bolting out of there as quickly as you can, but you can’t bring yourself to.

(It’s been four years. It’ll be fine.)

His smile is still as dazzling as ever, and he’s only gotten more gorgeous during the time you’d spent apart. You manage to bully yourself into responding more or less normally, and not like your heart is about to drop out of your ribcage.

You were expecting a perfunctory hello-how-are-you, but that turns into chatting, which turns into wandering to the bar to refill your drinks, which turns into hanging out on the second floor balcony away from the rest of the party. Your heart still doesn’t feel like it’s sitting the right way in your chest, but you’re reassured by the fact that beyond the smiles and the charm, he looks like he’s as deeply affected by this as you are. (It hasn’t been so long, and he hasn’t changed so much, that you can no longer read him.)

Before you know it, the sound of music and chatter and excitement ebbs away, replaced by fewer, more purposeful voices and the clatter of people tidying up.

You say your goodbyes. As he leans towards you, it feels like the entire evening has been leading up to this moment; that a string of coincidences had somehow brought you both here, reunited for a few hours.

It feels perfectly natural to meet his lips; just as natural to put your arms around his neck and slide your mouths together and chase his tongue with yours. He pulls you closer in answer, and he only lets you go when one of his friends starts hollering his name from downstairs, the noise echoing up the stairwell.

He says _ja ne_. You say _sayonara_. He really means sayonara, too, but you’ve always been a little more upfront about these things. 

You stand there, breathless, leaning on the railing for a little longer after he leaves, watching the stars. It’s not like you expected to ever get back together. It’s fine. It didn’t work then, and it wouldn’t work now, either. (Besides. You’re over it.)

By this time next week, you’ll probably have forgotten all about this. (You wonder if you’ll ever see each other again.)


	15. Kuroo/Tsukishima (HQ!!) - shy kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your own hands are on your knees and you’re fiddling with the fabric of your trousers, plucking at imaginary lint, trying to ignore how you’re itching to catch Kuroo's hand and twine your fingers with his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> for [this kiss prompt meme](https://twitter.com/therealdoxian/status/655899272601145344), #17, shy kiss, [originally posted here](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/137621977951)
> 
> Tags: POV Second Person, Established Relationship, Fluff, Nervousness

The sun is setting by the time you say goodbye to your friends and take the train back to your side of town.

Kuroo had decided to accompany you, insisting that he had some kind of errand to run. You’re sure it’s nothing that can’t wait, but you can’t find it within yourself to protest, not when it provides such a good excuse to linger in Kuroo’s presence when there’s no real reason to.

You’re both too wiped from the long day for conversation, so you’re listening to music, both of you sharing your earphones. You’d taken to carrying those around with you most of the time; you still own your favorite pair of noise-cancelling headphones, but now you reserve them for studying or going on runs.

Some kind of European dance track is playing. It's the kind of thing you wouldn’t really want anyone to know you had on your phone, but Kuroo is drumming the beat into his knees with his fingers, so you don't really want to skip it.

Your own hands are on your knees and you’re fiddling with the fabric of your trousers, plucking at imaginary lint, trying to ignore how you’re itching to catch Kuroo's hand and twine your fingers with his. It would be easy. All you have to do is reach out. But you feel self-conscious, even though you know Kuroo would be more than pleased by the gesture. He’s usually the one trying to make with the PDA all the time, but he isn’t picking up on your unspoken desires right now. You can’t expect him to make all the moves anyway, you guess. Even though he has done so far.

You steal a glance at his face. The way the waning daylight hits the lines of his nose and jaw makes him look even more handsome than usual.

…Now you want to kiss him, too.

It really isn’t fair.

There aren’t many people going in your direction at this time of the day, so the carriage is relatively empty. And nobody seems to be paying any attention to you.

What if you just…?

You swallow.

“Kuroo?”

“Hm?”

He turns to face you. You brush your lips against the corner of his mouth as he moves; a chaste, barely-there touch that’s more of a peck than anything else. You look at your shoes immediately after, not waiting to see his reaction.

“Tsukki.” He drags out the “i” of the nickname in a sing-song voice: _Tsukkiiiiii~_. You can tell he’s smiling. “What was that for?”

You shrug. You try too hard to appear nonchalant, so the motion ends up stiff and jerky.

“Nothing. I just felt like it.”

“Ohh. Can’t resist my charms, huh?”

You roll your eyes at him, but when he takes your hand like you wanted - his palm warm against yours - you have to bite back a smile.


	16. Kyoutani/Yahaba (HQ!!) - first aid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The small first aid kit is shoved right at the back of the medicine cabinet, behind several skin care products and what looks to be an old bottle of cough syrup. 
> 
> "Finally," Yahaba calls, fishing it out. "I was beginning to think you'd thrown it out. Or lost it. How are you supposed to use it if it takes forever to find? First aid kits are supposed to be handy since they're for emergencies."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written for the following [SASO 2016 bonus round 3 prompt](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/14215.html?thread=5784199#cmt5784199): 
> 
> package: A white case with a clip closure and a red cross on top  
> from: Yahaba  
> to: Asshole  
> note: Use this next time, idiot.
> 
> Tags: Blood, Minor Injuries, First Aid, Implied/Referenced Violence, Unresolved Romantic Tension

The small first aid kit is shoved right at the back of the medicine cabinet, behind several skin care products and what looks to be an old bottle of cough syrup. 

"Finally," Yahaba calls, fishing it out. "I was beginning to think you'd thrown it out. Or lost it. How are you supposed to use it if it takes forever to find? First aid kits are supposed to be handy since they're for emergencies."

He turns to where Kyoutani is sticking his arm over his bathtub, rinsing his elbow with water from the shower head. He finishes up and turns the shower off. 

"Didn't think I'd need to use it," he says with a shrug. He moves to sit on the edge of the bath, dripping water onto the floor. 

"Well," says Yahaba, "looks like you were wrong. Lift your arm."

"I could do this myself," Kyoutani mutters, but obediently does what Yahaba asks.

Yahaba lifts an eyebrow. "You can apply a bandage one-handed?" 

The graze runs up Kyoutani's elbow towards his upper arm. It looks deep. Blood won't stop blooming no matter how many times Yahaba wipes it away. 

"Leave it," Kyoutani grunts, finally. "It looks worse than it is. You're worrying too much."

"I'm not--" Yahaba bites the inside of his cheek. He'd been angry at Kyoutani, at first, but now that some time has passed he's beginning to feel terrible. That Kyoutani isn't really complaining, that he's actually trying to reassure Yahaba, it's-- 

Yahaba insists on putting pressure on the wound until the bleeding stops. Kyoutani is silent and unprotesting while Yahaba finishes dressing the wound, pressing a cotton pad in place before winding a bandage around it and taping it off. Once that's done, Yahaba lines the first aid supplies up along the counter and sits next to Kyoutani.

"I'm sorry," he says, quietly.

Yahaba is looking at the floor, his hands curled into fists, but he can feel Kyoutani's eyes on him. 

"It's fine," he says, shrugging again. 

Yahaba frowns, jerks his head up to look Kyoutani in the eye.

"It's not fine! I can't just shove you like that, even though you're infuriating and won't stop looking for opportunities to argue with me--"

"I fell because I tripped. That part wasn't your fault."

"Still. Maybe you're used to it because you fight all the time, but it really wasn't okay that I did that."

Kyoutani mutters a response under his breath that Yahaba can't hear.

"What?"

"I said, I get into fights because people always have a problem with me or think I'm provoking them. I'm not usually the one who starts them."

Yahaba takes Kyoutani in - the bleached hair, the stony expression - and thinks he knows what Kyoutani is getting at. His shame at lashing out compounds with the shame of assuming Kyoutani was always the one who started those fights. He feels like an idiot.

"And right now, you're the one arguing with me."

"...Because I'm trying to apologize to you, and you aren't letting me. Just. I screwed up, alright? And I-- I don't like that you got hurt, even though it was an accident."

Kyoutani doesn't say anything for a while. Finally, he nods at Yahaba, accepting.

"Okay."

Yahaba lets out a breath, relieved. He goes to get up, but something is brushing his hand. He looks down. Kyoutani is taking his hand and squeezing, his movements jerky and awkward and almost _shy_.

Yahaba feels his face burn and squeezes right back.


	17. Teshima/Toudou (ywpd) - texting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Package: A small, unassuming box  
> To: My hard-working kouhai!  
> From: Your perfect 10 of a senpai!  
> Note: Even if you didn't make it to the Inter High this time, you'll definitely make it next year!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written for [this SASO 2016 bonus round 3 prompt.](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/14215.html?thread=6124679#cmt6124679)
> 
> basically the fic version of a discussion i had with Raz.
> 
> Tags: Alternate Universe, Team Swap, Senpai-Kouhai Relationship, Texting, Self-Esteem Issues, Gift Giving

Junterrific☆: uh, Toudou-san?

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: Tecchan!! 

Junterrific☆: what's this?

Junterrific☆: [image attachment]

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: ......Do you really not know??

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: It's a charm of you, of course!  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: Akane-chan and I made it together ヽ(・∀・)ﾉ  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: (That's the president of my fan club. She's really good at crafty things like this.)

Junterrific☆: oh

Junterrific☆: the likeness is incredible, kudos to you both!  
Junterrific☆: but why'd you make it for me?

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: Didn't you read my note?

Junterrific☆: note?

Junterrific☆: whoops, there it is.  
Junterrific☆: ahaha, Toudou-san, i didn't know you counted a great sense of humor among your many blessings ~

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: ??????

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: It isn't a joke! (＃`Д´) 

Junterrific☆: no?  
Junterrific☆: in that case: you shouldn't have ~  
Junterrific☆: ...and i really mean that, i don't deserve a gift for NOT making it onto the InHigh team. unless it's a consolation gift? 

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: No, that's not it either! 

Junterrific☆: i've been meaning to tell you, i think i realized something during this year's team qualifying races.  
Junterrific☆: ordinary people can't beat elites.  
Junterrific☆: i thought that if i worked hard enough, i might be able to miraculously earn a win, but that's just a pipe dream. especially in a school like ours. there are more genius climbers here than i can count.

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: TECCHAN.

Junterrific☆: i'm actually wondering if i should quit. plenty of other things i could be doing with my time. i could pick up the guitar again. there's this cookbook i've been meaning to try

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: Oh my god, could you stop talking so much and listen to me, please!  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: I've told you before: you are not ordinary. Do you think I don't know extraordinariness when I see it???  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: Fine, your times are usually average, you don't exactly have any special techniques,

Junterrific☆: uh, are you still trying to console me or 

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: and your attitude is, quite frankly, TERRIBLE, but you're smarter than plenty of others in this club and I've seen you overcome so many things since you joined.  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: Like I said, I've never had to deal with trials, difficulties, hard work,

Junterrific☆: pffffft

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: (Shhh!)  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: but I've seen how much that can achieve. That's how you managed to test into this school in the first place, isn't it?  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: I said I saw potential in you. That's why I decided to take you under my wing! Don't you remember that day?

Junterrific☆: of course.

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: I want to ride in the InHigh with you next year. That's still how I feel. That's how it's going to happen. We decided it! What kind of senpai would I be if I couldn't help you achieve that?  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: Also, you already cook all the time anyway. We've SWAPPED RECIPES, or have you forgotten that as well?  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: ...Are you still there??? 

Junterrific☆: yse im just, this is alot to prcess is all .

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: What's with that weird typing? Are you alright?

Junterrific☆: fine  
Junterrific☆: youv got me beat when it comes to confidence too  
Junterrific☆: how're you more sure i can do this than i am?

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: Being sure of yourself isn't something you're good at, either.  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: I can't begin to understand how you couldn't be.  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: But that's okay. I can be sure enough for you for now.

Junterrific☆: ...it's really nice that you believe in me. i don't know why you do, but i truly appreciate it.  
Junterrific☆: i don't know what to say except, thank you.

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: Anything for my adorable kouhai <3 

Junterrific☆: so  
Junterrific☆: your note didn't explain why the charm, specifically

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: Oh, that's just a sample of what's to come.

Junterrific☆: eh?

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: I mean, you're bound to get your own fans next year, once you become a regular. You're a solid 8, it's inevitable! And fan clubs need merchandise. I could show you how to make bromides in preparation, too.

Junterrific☆: djshfldjsk

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: ??????

Junterrific☆: you might be getting ahead of yourself  
Junterrific☆: just a tiny bit

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: I am not!  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: In fact, since I'm free, I can show you right now! 

Junterrific☆: i  
Junterrific☆: actually  
Junterrific☆: you know what, why not, who knows when a skill like that would come in useful, right? 

HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: It will DEFINITELY come in useful.  
HAKONE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL!: I'm coming over now!!

Junterrific☆: see you soon, Toudou-san :)


	18. Ennoshita/Yamaguchi (HQ!!) - aeromancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi is afraid of a lot of things, but she is not afraid of storms. She never has been, even though she has more reason to be than anyone Ennoshita knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for SASO 2016 bonus round 5](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/16113.html?thread=7538417#cmt7538417), a prompt-free round with the theme of myth/lore.
> 
> Tags: Alternate Universe - Magic, Clairvoyance, Storms, Trans Female Character

Ennoshita remembers being afraid of storms when he was a child. One of his cousins told him how thunder was caused by the crash of giants stomping their feet in the heavens, and Ennoshita would hide under his covers, petrified that they were coming to kick over his house as the noise drew closer. As he grew older, he stopped believing in his friends’ and relatives’ tall tales, but the sudden boom and flash would send his heartbeat pattering into overdrive anyway. Now, what’s left of his old fear manifests only in the creak and twinge in his left knee when a storm is on its way. 

Yamaguchi is afraid of a lot of things, but she is not afraid of storms. She never has been, even though she has more reason to be than anyone Ennoshita knows.

“It’s going to hit soon,” Ennoshita says from the couch. He’d been pretending to read a magazine for the last half-hour, but it’s getting to the point where he doesn’t think he can pretend anymore. He stretches out his left leg, makes his knee click. It’s been aching for hours.

He glances over at the back porch. The glass doors are open, letting in the wind and the damp. Beyond their garden, the skies are dreary and the wind is chasing dark storm clouds across the horizon. They’ll have to close the doors soon, but for now Yamaguchi is sitting on the wooden flooring, watching the wind blow fierce through the trees and shrubbery. She’s wearing loose, comfortable striped pants and a white T-shirt, and the wind sends the cloth billowing like a sail. Her hair is swiftly coming out of the tiny ponytail at the nape of her neck and her bangs are wild, swirling around like dead leaves. 

Ennoshita abandons his magazine and joins her on the porch, bumping their shoulders together. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Oh, I’m fine,” says Yamaguchi, even though that’s blatantly not true. She’s pale under her freckles, her hands twisting in her lap. Ennoshita reaches out to take one of her hands in both of his, gently coaxing her fingers so that they’re no longer curled into tight fists, rubbing his thumb over her palm. 

“I-I mean it,” she tries again, shooting him a small, reassuring smile. 

“Your head doesn’t hurt?”

“Okay, maybe it does a little…” 

Ennoshita lets her have her hand back, but stays pressed close against her side. Eventually, the wind picks up, starts to make the awning over the porch shutter and bang, and both of them go inside. 

They sit at the dining table next to the window. Yamaguchi puts her head in her hands, rocks herself back and forth, moaning slightly from the pain. Ennoshita winces in sympathy, but stays quiet, not doing anything to interrupt the process. He watches her irises and cornea fill with black, like a galaxy. He watches her straighten up to gaze into nothing. 

Yamaguchi is no longer here. Her body might be, but until the storm ends Ennoshita is alone in the house with a vessel for visions. 

Because Yamaguchi sees portents in the clouds. The ability is always there, lurking just under the surface, but it’s the crackle of lightning that draws it out, brightening the shadowy afterimages in Yamaguchi’s mindscape into vivid colour. 

Yamaguchi’s body rattles off symbols in a flat, dull imitation of Yamaguchi’s voice, and Ennoshita records them. Snake. Crucible. Cross. Skull. Sun. They’ll be at it until the storm blows itself out, and after, when Yamaguchi returns from the world of spirit and prophecies to the world of physicality, she’ll examine Ennoshita’s notes and try to make sense of them. 

That’s when the fear comes. Yamaguchi isn’t afraid of the storms themselves, but of what they show. Sometimes something can be done about the more negative visions. Sometimes not. 

But Ennoshita watches Yamaguchi’s mouth move and feels a slow, quiet pride, because Yamaguchi is strong underneath all the worry. Much stronger than when they’d first met, and he’s confident that the fate of their small pocket in the world is in good hands.


	19. Ashikiba/Teshima (ywpd) - magical singing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange things happen when Ashikiba sings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for SASO 2016 bonus round 5](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/16113.html?thread=7539953#cmt7539953), a prompt-free round with the theme of myth/lore.
> 
> Tags: Alternate Universe - Magic, Broken Friendship, Reunions, Music, Singing, Natural Disasters, Trans Female Character

Ashikiba looks at Teshima’s name in her address book for a long time before she picks up her phone to call him. She hasn’t spoken to him in years, but she needs to, now. She must ask him to sing with her again.

Strange things happen when Ashikiba sings. She’s sang the vines winding around the trellis in her family’s garden into flower; summoned swarms of butterflies of every hue in the middle of the icy winter; serenaded the entire town until the spirits of everyone in it were soaring. 

Ashikiba used to enjoy singing. It was probably one of her favorite things to do aside from playing the piano, and so she would sing whenever she got the chance to. Her voice was so beautiful that the people in the town would stop what they were doing to listen whenever they heard her. 

The only thing more beautiful than Ashikiba’s singing, everyone agreed, was when Ashikiba sang with Teshima. But then Teshima moved away, and Ashikiba didn’t sing as much anymore. 

Teshima’s voice doesn’t have the same demiurgic force behind it, but when Teshima sang with her, Ashikiba’s song was more potent. Its effects traveled further, lasted longer. In the early days of their friendship they’d driven away a drought that threatened to last all year. But towards the time when Teshima was set to move away, they’d sung the river black with their melancholy and warbled a plague of locusts with their discontent. After Teshima left, Ashikiba had filled the sky with heavy grey clouds that persisted for weeks. 

She decided it would probably be better for everyone for her to stick to the piano from then on.

But now the townsfolk are begging her to sing again.

“There’s an illness,” Ashikiba tells Teshima in a quiet, shaky voice when he picks up the phone. 

He comes in on the train a few days later.

They’re silent all throughout the walk back to Ashikiba’s house. Ashikiba thinks about the years of change that she hadn’t witnessed as they walk over cobblestone steps, through the grove of trees leading to the house where Ashikiba lives.

She offers him tea when they get back and they sit at her dining room table, not looking at each other. Ashikiba doesn’t need to ask to know that he’s concerned about the same thing she is - if their relationship is as sour as it was when he left, they could just make everything worse. 

But they have to at least try. 

Ashikiba opens her mouth and picks up the lyrics in the middle of a ballad. Teshima, tentatively, joins her.

She sings soap bubbles out of the faucet; Teshima spreads them through her house. Ashikiba flutes a rainbow over the table; Teshima transforms it into a double. When they’re done, they look at each other, smiling.

The disease that had been threatening Ashikiba’s home clears up within the next few days, and Teshima extends his visit to a fortnight. They have a lot of talking - and singing - to catch up on.


	20. Toudou/Makishima (ywpd) - plane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> toumaki on an airplane and one falls asleep on the other's shoulder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for a 3 sentence fic prompt meme on Tumblr](http://thatsnotbeautiful.tumblr.com/post/114821199616)
> 
> Tags: Nonbinary Character, Airplines, Sleep, Fluff

For once, Toudou is definitely living up to their nickname. 

Almost immediately after the plane had taken off, Toudou had put on their sleep mask, snuggled against Makishima, and dropped off. Makishima watched them enviously - he could never fall into deep sleep on planes. 

He snorts as Hakone’s self-proclaimed most beautiful starts to snore quietly. He can look forward to a numb arm and drool on his shoulder once Toudou wakes up, but for now he gently brushes Toudou’s hair away from their face and thinks that, while Toudou would never find this beautiful, Makishima definitely does.


	21. Otabek/Yuri P. (YOI) - realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> otayuri + first realization of romantic interest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for a "one line of fic" prompt meme on Twitter](https://twitter.com/therealdoxian/status/813680273216811009)
> 
> Tags: Crushes, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Food

Yuri picks up Otabek from the airport in his grandpa's Jeep after promising at least a hundred times that, yes, he'll be careful not to crash the thing. 

Once Otabek's luggage is in the trunk and Otabek himself is in the passenger seat, buckling his seatbelt, Yuri shoves a paper bag into his friend's chest. He watches Otabek nibble on the pirozhki out of the corner of his eye while he drives. Yuri has seen Otabek consume entire meals in what seemed like two bites, so the methodical way he munches on the homemade bun gives Yuri the impression of careful consideration; of savouring every mouthful. When he finishes, he catches Yuri's eye and smiles. Yuri's eyes flick back to the road and he swears in lieu of saying "you're welcome" as he rights the Jeep's direction with a sharp swerve. 

There's no reason why his stomach should be so warm because of a simple "thank you".


	22. Bokuto/Kuroo (HQ!!) - keeping warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bokuro + staying warm in winter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for a "one line of fic" prompt meme on Twitter](https://twitter.com/therealdoxian/status/813762621484609536)
> 
> Tags: Nonbinary Character, Cuddling & Snuggling, Huddling for Warmth, Fluff

Bokuto climbs into laps with the same frequency and eagerness as a lovable dog that hasn't quite yet realized that it's grown from a small dog into a large one. 

"Bokuto, fuck," Kuroo grumbles half-heartedly as Bokuto quickly decides that Kuroo has the better spot on the couch and that he absolutely needs to occupy it as well. He crawls over, managing to pinch the skin of Kuroo's thigh between the couch and his knee, crushing Kuroo's dick underneath his well-muscled ass pretty much immediately. 

"Hey, hey, hey, K'roo," Bokuto says, flinging his arms around Kuroo's neck in an exuberant hug. 

"Hi," Kuroo says, not able to hide his grin no matter how inconvenienced he tries to behave. "Shove over a lil, I can't see the TV." Bokuto does. Kuroo puts an arm around Bokuto's back and pulls his blanket over them both as best he can. 

"You two are so unnecessary," Kenma says, not looking up from their video game. 

"What?" Kuroo protests. "It's cold." 

Neither he nor Bokuto say anything about the space heater they know is sitting in Kuroo's room.


	23. Otabek/Yuri P. (YOI) - sleeping in

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> otayuri + sleeping in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for a "one line of fic" prompt meme on Twitter](https://twitter.com/therealdoxian/status/813974881641451520)
> 
> Tags: Post-Canon, Sleep, Fluff, Established Relationship, Lazy Mornings

They're in a hotel room somewhere far away from any form of obligation, but Otabek's internal clock has him awake at the time he's usually up for practice anyway. 

Yuri, apparently, does not have this problem. He's still languid with sleep when Otabek's eyes flicker open - limbs loose, facial expression relaxed. Since they'd started dating Otabek has come to learn so much more about Yuri. He now knows how Yuri's facial features arrange themselves when Yuri is in a wide variety of moods, but he's yet to see him like this - placid, none of the day's fight in him yet. 

Being awake for this feels like a privilege.

He gently brushes Yuri's long hair out of his face and wonders at how much about Yuri he still has left to learn.


	24. Makoto/Haru (Free!) - tickling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> makoharu + tickling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> going through abandoned fic drafts and posting bits and pieces i like from them
> 
> Rating: T
> 
> Tags: Tickling, Suggestive Themes, POV Second Person

He sends you both sprawling, pushing up your shirt and attacking your sides with his fingertips, right where your waist dips, where you're most sensitive. You could use your height, take advantage of the scant amount you have on him in terms of strength and flip him over, counter with a tickle attack of your own, because even though you're the most ticklish out of your friends, Haru's not _completely_ immune, but you're just the tiniest bit preoccupied by how you're helplessly gasping with laughter.


	25. Akaashi/Tsukishima (HQ!!) - coffee shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> akatsukki + coffee shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> started as a br fill for SASO2016 and then abandoned
> 
> Tags: Coffee Shops, Flirting

Tsukishima is so wrapped up in breaking down the current chapter of his textbook into notes that he gratefully accepts the cup of coffee that’s handed to him, taking a big sip before realizing he hadn’t ordered it. 

“I’m sorry, I think there was a mistake, I didn’t—” 

“This one’s on the house. You look like you could use it.”

The barista disappears behind the counter. The steaming cup is vanilla latte, not coffee—intensely sweet, just the way Tsukishima likes it. 

Tsukishima saves the name and phone number into his phone against his better judgment. They're written in a tidy script, despite being scrawled along the side of a paper coffee cup: _XXX-XXXXXXX. Akaashi Keiji._


	26. Akaashi/Tsukishima (HQ!!) - makeup

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> akatsukki + makeup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> started for hqhols 2015 and abandoned
> 
> Tags: Makeup, Photography, Model

"Hold still," Akaashi says, holding Tsukishima's face firmly in his hand, pressing his thumb against Tsukishima's chin.

"I barely moved," mutters Tsukishima, but tries to do what he's asked anyway, even though it seems like more of what he was already doing, to him.

Akaashi lets go of his face and moves the brush - Tsukishima thinks it was for bronzer? - in swift, sure strokes. 

"You were fidgeting," Akaashi points out, as dispassionately as always. "Are you nervous?"

"No," Tsukishima insists. His affect is as flat as Akaashi's, but he ruins it by replying too quickly. It makes him look like he cares too much about what Akaashi thinks.

This isn't a big deal. Really. Akaashi has some kind of project due for his photography class. Tsukishima felt like he owed him one for helping him study for his final, so when Akaashi asked him to model, Tsukishima said yes. 

"I'm surprised that you didn't ask Bokuto," Tsukishima says as the brush leaves his face. He continues facing forward, perhaps taking Akaashi's instructions to "hold still" too seriously, so he can only assume Akaashi is switching brushes from the sounds of him clattering the makeup on the table beside them. 

"Bokuto?" Akaashi snorts, amused. "Are you joking? He'd be vibrating in his seat by now, if he hadn't gotten bored and tried to escape already."


	27. Otabek/Yuri P. (YOI) - sharing a bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The single bed in the hotel room is a plush, queen-sized deal with tasteful sea foam green bedding, and Yuri is _horrified_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [written for Valentine's Lockers 2017](http://valentineslockers.dreamwidth.org/21954.html?thread=317634#cmt317634) for the prompt "sharing a bed"
> 
> Tags: Pre-Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Cuddling & Snuggling

The single bed in the hotel room is a plush, queen-sized deal with tasteful sea foam green bedding, and Yuri is _horrified_. 

"They must have messed up the reservation, _fuck_ ," he says, dropping the handle of his suitcase so that it hits the carpeted floor with a dull _thud_ and sitting heavily on the offending bed to call reception. He's slamming the phone back on the hook in frustration mere minutes later. 

"They can move us to a room with two beds tomorrow, but they're fully booked tonight," he grouses. 

Otabek just gives him a thumbs up from the bathroom where he's already brushing his teeth. He doesn't seem particularly bothered by this turn of events, which makes Yuri even more bothered by it than he already is. Otabek isn't one to get angry unless it's a world-ending catastrophe, sure, but to not be annoyed at _all_? Fuck, what if he thinks that Yuri was the one who messed this up when he made the booking, or worse, that he orchestrated it _on purpose_?

He doesn't notice that he's glaring down at the bedspread with clenched fists like it just insulted his fashion sense until Otabek flips the covers from the other side of the bed so that he can get into it. 

"It's a big bed, Yura," he says with a shrug. And then the corner of his mouth quirks up the tiniest bit. "Or do you kick in your sleep? In that case you can sleep on the floor."

"Tch, you asshole," Yuri lets out a surprised laugh and throws a pillow at him. With the tension broken, he changes, gets into the other side of the bed and switches off the light. 

But laying there in the dark, listening to Otabek's steady breathing next to him, he can't sleep. 

He's crowded onto the edge of the bed as far away from Otabek as is comfortable, but Otabek's presence still weighs heavy on him, every one of his movements impossible to ignore. 

Yuri is considering giving up on sleep for the moment and digging out his phone as a distraction, but then Otabek sighs, reaches out, and pulls Yuri across the short distance between them. 

Yuri makes an indignant noise as Otabek curls into him, resting his head on his chest and casually slinging an arm over him like it's the most natural thing in the world. He's about to protest, but then Otabek cracks open a single, sleepy eye to look at him. 

"We'll talk about it tomorrow," he says with a yawn, referring, Yuri assumes, to how he'd decided to act on this unspoken _thing_ between them out of the blue by fucking cuddling with him. "Now let's just go to sleep."

Yuri kind of wants to kick him, both because of how presumptuous he's being, but also to take out his irritation at how easy of a read Yuri himself must have been for Otabek to come to this conclusion. He compromises by curling his fingers in Otabek's hair a little tighter than necessary when he runs his hands through it, carding through the strands and stroking over the soft bristle of his undercut like he'd wanted to for a long time. 

"Okay, fine. Let's sleep," he says. They both drift off in a matter of minutes.


	28. Otabek/Yuri P. (YOI) - catboys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Uh--" Yuri says, completely frozen in place. 
> 
> "Your tea's getting cold," says the catboy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> written for [the following SASO 2017 bonus round 4 prompt:](https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/23665.html?thread=14218865#cmt14218865)
> 
> “The smallest feline is a masterpiece.” 
> 
> \- Leonardo da Vinci
> 
> Tags: Alternate Universe, Cat/Human Hybrids, Coffee Shops, Cat Cafes, Dehumanization, First Meetings, Fluff, background Mila Babicheva/Sara Crispino, background Mila Babicheva & Yuri Plisetsky

Yuri dramatically refuses Mila's invitation to the cat cafe more for show than because he doesn't want to go. Who would he be if he didn't kick up a huge fuss at that grandma for trying to get him to do something, even a thing that actually sounds like it might be fun?

"If this place is boring, I'm leaving," he declares as they approach the welcoming, cosy-looking cafe. 

"Yeah, okay, whatever you say," Mila waves him off. She's known him long enough now that this is her default reaction to all his performative complaining. When she isn't busy teasing him, that is. 

The friendly receptionist requests that they provide some personal details before they head inside. The lobby is bright, airy, and just as welcoming as the cafe's entrance, but the prospect of filling in a form is enough for Yuri to whine some more about why a freaking _cafe_ requires paperwork. 

The answer is evident as soon as they walk past reception and push open the double doors leading to the cafe proper. 

"Mila." 

"Yes?" She sounds smug, mischievous, utterly unrepentant. 

"This isn't a cat cafe, what the fuck." 

"Uhh, yes it is." She gestures to their left at the catgirl ensconced on a fluffly, sumptuous-looking bed, her tail lazily flicking back and forth. 

"How is," Yuri sputters as Mila leads him to a free table. "This is!" 

It's not that he hasn't met a beast person before. He's met plenty, but in his classes, in bars when he goes out clubbing with his friends, sometimes because they're fans of his. Normal, human interactions — nothing like _this_. At least 20 of them are gathered in this bizarre themed cafe, lazing, loping, or playing as if there isn't a single human gene in their bodies. 

Mila shoves him onto a sofa and takes the armchair opposite him.

"Chill out. Haven't you ever heard of host cafes?"

"Yes," Yuri hisses, "but--"

Before he can answer, a dark girl with long, flowing hair and tortoiseshell ears approaches Mila, her eyes bright with curiosity and her tail perked up in a friendly sort of manner. Mila immediately stops paying attention to Yuri in favor of smiling at the girl, who drops what looks to be a toy mouse in Mila's lap. 

"Hi," says the catgirl, resting her hands on Mila's knees, as well. "Wanna play?" 

"Sure," Mila grins, picking up the toy and following the girl out to the garden, leaving Yuri alone. 

He orders some tea and immediately gets out his phone, sighing and opening whatever social media app his thumb lands on. He scrolls mindlessly, but he can still see all the activity going around him from the corner of his eye. The catpeople here are young and beautiful, around his and Mila's age and all dressed in fashionable street wear. Most of them are entertaining the cafe's guests, but others are lazing around like the girl he and Mila'd seen when they first walked in, looking at their own phones or sunning themselves. 

Yuri quickly starts growing uncomfortable. He loves cats, of course, but watching the-- _hosts_ here he can't help but think about how demeaning it must be, how much he'd hate being in a similar position, reduced to playing and posing for the guests' entertainment. How can they stand it? 

He's just about to get up and leave - screw Mila, seriously - when he notices a pair of dark brown eyes watching him and blinking steadily.

The catboy - because that's what he is, he has a pair of jet black cat ears - gets up from Mila's vacated seat and floomps down on the sofa next to Yuri, instead, curling up and resting his cheek on Yuri's lap as if Yuri had sat down purely to offer up his thighs as a pillow and nothing else. The sofa would've been too small for Yuri to lay on, probably - his most recent growth spurt has him towering over Mila and most of their other classmates - but this other boy is quite a bit shorter than him and fits on it easily.

"Uh--" Yuri says, completely frozen in place. 

"Your tea's getting cold," says the catboy. 

Yuri doesn't move. He's hovering his hands awkwardly in the air above the catboy's head, unsure as to whether it's okay to touch him, even though the boy's eyes are half-closed and he's sprawled out, comfortable, like he doesn't plan on moving for a good long while. 

"You're so tense." Yuri can see the boy's face scrunch into a frown. "You can pet my ears, if you want. I've been told that it's comforting." 

At a loss of what else to do, Yuri rests one of his hands on the boy's head. His hair is soft, and when Yuri tentatively touches one furry ear he finds that _that's_ soft, as well. 

He swallows. 

"What's your name?" 

They exchange names.

"Otabek, how can you not hate this," Yuri asks, even as he continues petting Otabek's ears like he'd suggested. The boy laying in his lap looks like the serious type, hardly the kind of person who'd happily act like a kitten. And yet here he is. 

There's a considered silence, Otabek seemingly weighing his question. "It's nice," he says, finally, "to indulge, sometimes. Not have to worry about resisting the urge to pounce after a pigeon in the middle of a conversation. You know."

"Huh."

Yuri realizes that Otabek's purring. It's a steady rumble that vibrates against his thigh and that he can feel when he smooths his hand along Otabek's throat. 

"And the pay's good. Definitely beats waiting tables." 

They lapse into a companionable silence. Yuri doesn't stop petting Otabek's hair and Otabek doesn't stop purring, loud and satisfied and regular, like a car engine. 

Yuri bites his lip. This is calming, he always feels calm because of Pyocha's purring, but Pyocha doesn't have broad shoulders and a flat, well-muscled stomach. Otabek's tank top has pushed up a little with his sprawling and Yuri has to studiously ignore the urge to run his fingers along the swath of exposed skin. Instead he just keeps petting Otabek until his eyes flicker shut. He looks like he's maybe fallen asleep. Yuri catches himself smiling.

And that's how Mila finds him when she eventually returns to her seat, a drink of something iced and fruity in her hands. 

She grins at him.

"I told you this was a good idea."

"S-shut up!"


End file.
